sunet/doc/latex/cgi-server.tex

\section{CGI server}\label{sec:cgi-server}
%
\begin{description}
\item[Used files:] cgi-server.scm
\item[Name of the package:] cgi-server
\end{description}
%
\subsection{Procedures}

\begin{defundesc}{cgi-handler}{bin-dir \ovar{cgi-bin-dir}}{path-handler}
  Returns a path handler (see \ref{httpd:path-handlers} for details
  about path handlers) for cgi-scripts located in
  \semvar{bin-dir}. \semvar{cgi-bin-dir} specifies the value of the
\ex{PATH} variable of the environment the cgi-scripts run in. It defaults
to
``\ex{/bin:\ob{}/usr/bin:\ob{}/usr/ucb:\ob{}/usr/bsd:\ob{}/usr/local/bin}''
but is overwritten by the current \ex{PATH} environment variable at
the time \ex{cgi-handler} ist called. The cgi-scripts are called as
specified by CGI/1.1\footnote{see
\ex{http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/cgi/interface.html} for a sort of
specification.}. 

\begin{itemize}
\item Various environment variables are set (like
  \ex{QUERY\_STRING} or \ex{REMOTE\_HOST}).
\item ISINDEX queries get their arguments as command line arguments.
\item Scripts are handled differently according to their name:

  \begin{itemize}

    \item If the name of the script starts with `\ex{nph-}', its reply
    is read, the RFC~822-fields like ``Content-Type'' and ``Status''
    are parsed and the client is sent back a real HTTP reply,
    containing the rest of the script's output.  

    \item If the name of the script doesn't start with `\ex{nph-}',
    its output is sent back to the client directly. If its return code
    is not zero, an error message is generated.

\end{itemize}
\end{itemize}
\end{defundesc}